Before Michelle Hatchell and her partner, Liz, sent their child, Mimi, to school for the first time, the family sat down and created a script. "What can you say," Hatchell prompted, "if someone asks if you have two moms?" They sent Mimi's teacher picture books depicting families with two mothers. And they met with the principal, requesting Mimi be…

In Chicago's public school system, LGBT students were three times more likely than straight peers to miss school because of threats to their safety, according to 2003 districtwide survey; and students who face regular harassment were more like to drop out. In this article, the author shares her thoughts on the move of Chicago school officials to…

For lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or questioning (LGBTQ) students, school is rarely a safe space, much less an environment conducive to learning. Seventy-five percent of gay students report being verbally abused at school, and more than a third say they are physically harassed. And research shows that LGBTQ students are five times more…